Trump family local legacy: Not as seedy as once thought?

He might not have been a boy scout, but his link to sex work is still being hammered out

Zosha Millman
| on July 27, 2017

Photo: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

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Friedrich Trump (at right in photograph) was born and raised in Kallstadt, Germany, but moved to Seattle in 1892 and ran a restaurant. Was it more than that?

Continue through for a look at a history of sex work

Friedrich Trump (at right in photograph) was born and raised in Kallstadt, Germany, but moved to Seattle in 1892 and ran a restaurant. Was it more than that?

Continue through for a look at a history of sex work and erotica in Seattle

Photo: Google Maps

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The brick building at 221 South Washington Street was once home to Seattle’s most refined brothel, operated by Lou Graham – the city’s most notorious madam and one of the largest supporters ofThe brick building at 221 South Washington Street was once home to Seattle’s most refined brothel, operated by Lou Graham – the city’s most notorious madam and one of the largest supporters of education at the time. The building, completed in 1900, is now home to part of the Union Gospel Mission. (Photo: Google Maps)

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Gypsy Rose Lee, one of America’s most iconic burlesque entertainers, was
a Seattle native. Born Rose Louise Hovick, her 1957 memoir was made
into the stage musical and film “Gypsy.”

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The Lusty Lady, popular not only for its peepshows but also its cheeky and often-photographed marquee, closed in 2010 after nearly 30 years in business. The building’s landlords have kept up the exotic

Ironically, Seattlites are not a sexy bunch. According to a 2010 study by Trojan, the condom maker, folks in Seattle have sex less often than the national average, are more likely to avoid sex in hot weatherIronically, Seattlites are not a sexy bunch. According to a 2010 study by Trojan, the condom maker, folks in Seattle have sex less often than the national average, are more likely to avoid sex in hot weather and less likely to have sex outside in the rain than folks in other cities. However, Seattlites lead the nation in having sex outside regardless of weather conditions.

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Seth Warshavsky, the pioneer of the Internet pornography industry, launched the Internet Entertainment Group and Clublove.com out of a converted Seattle warehouse in 1996. He is responsible for the

Seth Warshavsky, the pioneer of the Internet pornography industry, launched the Internet Entertainment Group and Clublove.com out of a converted Seattle warehouse in 1996. He is responsible for the distribution, for your viewing pleasure, of the Motel Centerfolds of Dr. Laura and the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee honeymoon videos. (Seattle P-I archive photo.)

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

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Frank Colacurcio Sr. led a local strip-club empire in Seattle and was painted by law enforcement as the Pacific Northwest’s own organized-crime figure before his death at age 93 in 2010.

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The Monorail and Space Needle were not the only big attractions during Seattle's 1962 World’s Fair -- how about nudity and dancing women along Century 21’s Show Street? The nightclub-style revues

The Green Parrot Theatre, pictured here in 1972, was one of Seattle’s most well-known adult theaters, located on what was then known as "Flesh Alley," the strip of adult entertainment, tattoo parlors and

The Green Parrot Theatre, pictured here in 1972, was one of Seattle’s most well-known adult theaters, located on what was then known as "Flesh Alley," the strip of adult entertainment, tattoo parlors and gay bars that used to populate First Avenue near Pike Place Market. The adult movie house was one of many that flourished in the city, including the Midtown at 1515 Third Ave. and the Apple Theatre at 1508 Boren Ave. Fire gutted the Green Parrot in 1979 and the Apple building was demolished in 1999. The building that housed the Midtown still stands. (Seattle Municipal Archives)

Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood also offered its share of adult movies houses, most notably the Northend Cinema, which played a revealing double feature in 1974: “Deep Throat” and “The Devil in Miss Jones.” The Ridgemont Theater – now home to The Ridgemont condominiums at North 78th Street and Greenwood Avenue North – also played porn films in the 1970s, until a 1976 zoning ordinance restricted the location of adult movie houses to a 250-acre zone downtown.

Photo: Mike Urban, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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Burlesque performer Lily Verlaine lowers herself into a steamy cup of coffee during "Land of Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker" at the Triple Door. The theater was once home to the Embassy, an adult movie house

Burlesque performer Lily Verlaine lowers herself into a steamy cup of coffee during "Land of Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker" at the Triple Door. The theater was once home to the Embassy, an adult movie house that operated during the 1970s and '80s.

Pepper Schwartz is a sociologist at the University of Washington and Seattle’s resident sexologist. She’s written 16 books on the dating and sex habits of couples and singles. She also writes a love

Pepper Schwartz is a sociologist at the University of Washington and Seattle’s resident sexologist. She’s written 16 books on the dating and sex habits of couples and singles. She also writes a love and sex column for AARP, in addition to writing the monthly "Sex and Health" column for Glamour Magazine for seven years; the “Talking About Sex” column for American Baby Magazine for eight years; and the “Sex.Net with Dr. Pepper” weekly column for Microsoft’s One Click Away.

A sex-based inventory of Seattle would not be completed without Dan Savage, the city’s and America’s most outspoken potty-mouthed sex columnist and gay rights activist. Author of the sex adviceA sex-based inventory of Seattle would not be completed without Dan Savage, the city’s and America’s most outspoken potty-mouthed sex columnist and gay rights activist. Author of the sex advice column “Savage Love” and the editorial director of The Stranger, Savage is most well-known for the Google “redefinition” of Republican candidate Rick Santorum, the “It Gets Better” campaign and his current MTV series “Savage U.”

Seattle’s amateur and locally made porn festival will celebrate its seventh year in November with screenings in Seattle, Portland and Olympia. Last year’s HUMP! featured 23 films and 29 screenings, where 12,000 audience members cast their votes for Best Humor, Best Kink, Best Sex and Best in Show.

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In 1910, Hirman Gill, an "open-town" advocate for tolerance of prostitution, alcohol and gambling, was elected mayor. The following year, Mayor Gill and the city’s police chief were caught in a

In 1910, Hirman Gill, an "open-town" advocate for tolerance of
prostitution, alcohol and gambling, was elected mayor. The following
year, Mayor Gill and the city’s police chief were caught in a scandal
involving the construction of a 500-room brothel – supposedly the
largest in the world – in Beacon Hill. In 1914, Mayor Gill was elected
again as mayor, but this time he cracked down on the city’s penchant for
vice. (Where Gill Proudly Stands. Cartoon by Hop, Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, January 22, 1911. Courtesy Cartooning Washington.)

Photo: MOHAI Photo

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In 1951, a four-engine B-50 bomber crashed into the Lester Apartments on the west side of Beacon Hill. The building, constructed in 1910, was originally intended to be the world’s largest brothel,

In 1951, a four-engine B-50 bomber crashed into the Lester Apartments on
the west side of Beacon Hill. The building, constructed in 1910, was
originally intended to be the world’s largest brothel, with 500 rooms,
but was instead converted into apartments, after then-Mayor Hiram Gill
and the city’s police chief were caught conspiring in the construction
of the brothel. Interstate 5 now runs through the site of the apartment
building.

Photo: Photo Illustration By Ian Waldie/Getty Images

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In 1974, the Association of Seattle Prostitutes, a chapter of Come Off Your Old Tired Ethics, or COYOTE, issued its first newsletter. Their motto: “At the Breast of the Queen City."

If you've been reading every liberal’s favorite conservative, The New York Times’ David Brooks, then you’ve heard that Donald Trump's grandfather, Frederick Trump (née Friedrich Drumpf), ran a brothel during his time in Seattle.

The suspiciously gratifying story is hotly debated. At the very least, it seems to be misleading.

Brooks writes (as many others have repeated) that Fred Trump "ventured west to seek his riches and finally settled in Seattle, where he opened a restaurant that ... likely included a section for a bordello."

The story seems to have originated from the Trump family history by Gwenda Blair, originally published in 2000 under the title "The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire."

Trump's grandfather famously emigrated to the U.S. in 1891 from Germany (famously because, had his grandson been president then, he wouldn't have made the cut). He settled in Seattle, buying up the Poodle Dog and turning it into Dairy Restaurant.

In her book and later Politico article, Blair draws the connection between the fact that Fred Trump's restaurant was in the red light district of Seattle, and the terminology of the time:

It was a restaurant in those days, too, and specialized in oysters. "Everything new, neat and first-class," boasted one advertisement. "All Meals prepared by First-class Cooks only." But the Poodle Dog's ads also mentioned its other specialty: "Private Rooms for Ladies." As everyone who read the ads knew, the "ladies" in question were prostitutes. Perhaps Frederick Trump eliminated this service. In all likelihood, though, he did not.

It's this part of the book that seems to have spun beyond Blair's intention.

"That he, specifically, in his restaurant under his roof, was a pimp? I wouldn't say that, and I never say that," Blair said in an interview with SeattlePI. "I don't think I have the basis to say that."

But she does argue that there is some adjacency that doesn't leave Fred Trump squeaky clean either, noting that, while she's not saying he ran a house of prostitution, his customers were looking for liquor, food and women.

"I think I do have the basis to say that prostitutes were certainly accommodated," Blair continued. "You would've been nuts to not have a pretty loose policy. That's what went on there; that's what that area of town was about."

It's here that local historian Rob Ketcherside takes umbrage.

"There's a mistaken belief based on popular history from the 1970s that every person working or living in Pioneer Square in the 1890s was involved in prostitution," Ketcherside wrote in an email to SeattlePI.

"It is wrong to believe that prostitution was rampant throughout Seattle. It's also wrong to think that Pioneer Square was wholly devoted to vice."

Ketcherside has authored posts on this subject before, noting that there is no evidence that Fred Trump ran an ad that included the phrase "rooms for ladies," or even that the previous owner of the business had any association with prostitutes.

In his research, Ketcherside also found that "rooms for ladies" may not have been as linked to sex work as Blair believes. In a blog post, Ketcherside has found that many advertisements of the time call for "rooms for ladies and families," providing women space to "avoid the discomfort of taking their meals in predominantly male company."

Blair concedes that there could be a double meaning to the phrase, but said that local historians she talked to while writing the book said the phrase "certainly, among other things, meant areas where prostitutes could be."

"It would've been tough to have a very tee-totaling, no-monkey-business outlook," Blair said. "If he was going to be puritanical he wouldn't have been there."

As Blair sees it, Trump would go on to own several restaurants in the area as part of the "mining the miners" economy boom. And frequently they were found in the red light district. According to Blair's biography, Fred Trump certainly had a business sense that left him with a hefty nest egg where others didn't make – or lose – fortunes.

"There was prostitution in Pioneer Square. There was gambling. But there were other businesses. It's totally fair to talk about known vice around Fred Trump's restaurant in order to put him in context," Ketcherside said.

"Without (more evidence), we can do no more than speculate about how Fred Trump spent his days."